Shelf



Patented Jan. 21, 1.936'

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHELF Y. Application May v18,

7 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in librarybook stacks, shelvingor analogous structures o-f that sort in which the shelves are attached to the upright columns or parts of the A supporting stack or structure by brackets or members connected to the shelves usually at their ends so as to serve also as end pieces orwalls for confining the books or articles on the shelves. Such stacks or shelving structures are commonly of knock down construction, or composed of parts which canbe disconnected for storage and shipment and can be readily assembled at the place ofinstallation and said brackets or members for attachingv the shelves to their supports are separate from both theshelves and the supports and adapted to be detachably connected thereto. An objection to this construction is that the supporting brackets, being relatively small separate parts, are apt to be misplaced or lost and cause delay orinconvenience in erecting or installing the stacks or shelving. Y

One object of this invention is to provide a desirable but simple and economical construction in which the shelf supportingbrackets or end pieces for each shelf are attached to the shelf so that the brackets can be folded flat against the shelf to economize space in storing and shipping, and can be swung to their operative upright position ready for attachment to the supporting columns or parts while, nevertheless, the brackets are connected to' the shelf so that Vthey can not become accidentally detached and lost or misplaced.

Other objects are to hinge the brackets to the shelf by interengaging integral parts of the shelf and brackets and provide inexpensive means which prevent disengagement of the hinge connections and alsov operate to releasably retain the brackets in their upright, operative position to facilitate the attachment of the shelves to their supports; and also to improve library stacks or shelving structures inthe other respects hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

' Fig. 1 is a fragmentary, front elevation on a reduced scale of a library stack or shelving structure embodying the invention. k

Fig. 2 is a plan view of one end of a shelf with the supporting bracket in operative position thereon.

Fig.. 3 is an elevation thereof showing by full and broken lines respectively the folded and uprghtpositions of the bracket.

Fig. 4 is a transverse section on line 4 4, Fig. 2. Fig. 5, isa detail section on anenlargedscale naaseriai No. 612,032

(ci. zii-) posite ends of each shelf and attached. to the shelf and tothe columns II so as to support the shelves from the columns. The shelves may be cf any usual or suitable construction and, as shown, each shelf is made from sheet metal and provided along its front and rear edges with depending stiffening flanges I3 having inturned, doubled bottom edges. The shelf shown is also provided with downturned, vertical flanges I4 at its ends.

Each bracket is preferably formed from a single sheet metal blank provided with outturned rounded front and top edges which stiffen the bracket and provide a smooth finish for these edges. Preferably, the Abrackets are located at opposite ends of each shelf, and each bracket is hinged at its lower edge to the shelf by integral hinge lugs I5 which are bent to project inwardly at right angles from the lower edge of the bracket y and extend through narrow slots I6 in the horizontal plate of the shelf parallel with and spaced inwardly from one end of the shelf. The lugs y `I5 are offset downwardly below the bottom edge of the bracket a distance about equal to the thickness of the shelf plate and are adapted to turn in the slots I6 to permit the bracket to be swung from its upright position toa position in which it lies flat upon the shelf. When the bracket is in its upright position, the lugs will bear against the underside of the shelf plate and prevent the bracket from swinging outwardly beyond the intended upright position. The lugs VI5 are of a length adapting. them to be inserted through the slots I6 and the two lugs I5 of the bracket are notched at their corresponding ends, as indicated at Il, Figs.f5 and 6, so that after the lugs have been inserted through the slots I6, the bracket can ybe shifted transversely of the shelf to cause'the notched ends of the lugs to underlie or engage the shelf plate at the adjacent ends of the slots I6 and thus prevent the removal of the lugs from the slots except by first shifting the bracket until the notched ends of the lugs clear the ends of the slots I6.

, SuchV shifting of the bracket to releasing position may be prevented by suitable retaining means on the shelf arranged to engage one or both of the hinge lugs I5 so as to prevent .the`

Stiy

bracket from being shifted to the position necessary to allow the lugs to pass through the slots I6 in the shelf. These retaining means may consist of one or more metal pieces I8 riveted or otherwise secured to the adjacent end flange I4 of the shelf and having legs I9 projecting inwardly so as to engage the inner ends of the hinge lugs. Preferably, each inwardly projecting leg I9 extends at an angle to the plane of movement of the adjacent end of the hinge lug during the swinging movement of the bracket so that when the bracket is swung upwardly, the ends of the lugs will spring the legs I9 and place them under tension, thereby causing the legs I9 to bear forcibly against the ends of the hinge lugs and resist the swinging of the bracket. Preferably, also the upper edges of the legs I9 are bevelled, as indicated at 20, Figs. 5 and 6, whereby, when the bracket is in its upright position, these bevelled edges will be pressed against the ends of the hinge lugs, which then extend horizontally parallel with the bevelled edges, the engagement of the bevelled edges with the lugs serving to eifectually hold the bracket in the upright position but nevertheless permitting the bracket to be swung down simply by the application of suflicient force to spring the hinge lugs out of engagement with the bevelled edges. l The retaining means thus perform two functions. First, they prevent the supporting bracket from being shifted transversely of the shelf to a position to allow the lugs to be withdrawn from the slots I6, and therefore prevent the disengagement of the bracket from the shelf. Second, the retaining means by their frictional and snap engagement with the hinge lugs, as explained, releasably retain the bracket in its upright operative position on the shelf. The retaining means can be attached to the shelf after the hinge lugs of the bracket have been inserted into the slots I6 and shifted to their operative positions in the slots with the notched ends of the lugs underlying the adjacent ends of the slots, or the retaining means could be attached to the shelf with the legs I9 thereof extending in a position to permit the insertion of the hinge lugs into the shelf slots I6, after which the legs I9 can be bent to their nal position in the described cooperative relation with the ends of the hinge lugs.

The brackets I2 are adapted to vbe connected.

'. this purpose, as disclosed in Letters Patent, Number 1,195,295, issued August 22, 1916, to P. G. Turner, assignor to Art Metal Construction Co., according to which each bracket is provided at the lower portion of its rear edge with a rearwardly projecting lug 2| adapted to enter one of a series of slots 22 in one of the supports II and the bracket is provided at the upper portion of its rear edge with rearwardly projecting hooks 23 adapted to hook into other slots in the support II. By the construction described, the shelves can be installed in position on the columns or supports simply by swinging the brackets to their upright positions and inserting the lug and hooks of each bracket in the appropriate slots in one of the columns or supportsl and the shelves can be readily disconnected from the columns. When the shelves are disconnected from the columns, the brackets can be folded down flat against the shelves to facilitate storing and shipping of the shelves.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination of a shelf, a supporting bracket therefor having an integral hinge lug entering and shaped to turn in a slot in the shelf to permit the bracket to swing from a position substantially parallel with the shelf to a position substantially perpendicular to the shelf, said hinge lug being adapted to pass through said slot and having a notched end adapted by shifting the bracket relatively to the shelf to engage the adjacent edge of the slot to prevent withdrawal of the lug from the slot, and a retaining member on the structure arranged to prevent the bracket from being shiftedto a position to disengage the notched end of said lug from the end of the slot.

2. The combination of a shelf, a supporting bracket therefor provided with an integral hinge lug entering and shaped to turn in a slot in said shelf whereby the bracket is hinged to the shelf to swing relatively to the shelf from a position substantially parallel with the shelf to a supporting position at an angle to the shelf, and a retaining member which is fixed on the structure and automatically ooacts with said hinge lug to releasably hold the bracket in one of its positions on the shelf.

3. The combination of a shelf and a bracket, one of said parts having a hinge lug entering and shaped to turn in a slot in the other part whereby said parts are hinged together to swing Y to and from positions substantially perpendicular to each other, and a retaining member on the part having the slot and arranged to yieldingly engage said hinge lug for releasably retaining said bracket in one of its positions.

4. The combination of a shelf and a bracket, one of said parts having a hinge lug entering and shaped to turn in a slot in the other part whereby said bracket is adapted to swing from a position substantially parallel with the shelf to a position substantially perpendicular to the shelf, and a yieldable retaining member on the part having the slot an'd arranged to bear yieldingly against said hinge lug for releasably retaining said bracket in its perpendicular position, the engagement of the retaining member with the hinge lug also preventing withdrawal of said hinge lug from said slot.

5. The combination of a shelf and a bracket, one of said parts having a hinge lug entering and shaped to turn in a slot in the other partto permit the bracket to swing from a position substantially parallel with the shelf to a position substantially perpendicular to the shelf, said lug having a notch in one end arranged to straddle one edge of the slot, and a retaining member on the structure arranged to prevent disengagement of the edge of said slot from said notch in the lug.

6. The combination of a shelf and a bracket, one of said parts having a hinge lug entering and shaped to turn in a slot in the other part to permit the bracket-to swing from a position substantially parallel with the shelf to a position substantially perpendicular to the shelf, said lug having a notch in one end arranged to straddle one edge of the slot, a retaining member on the structure arranged to prevent disengagement of the edge of said slot from said notch in the lugfand said retaining member adapted to bear yieldingly against said lug to releasably hold said bracket in its perpendicular position.

7. The combination of a shelf and abracket, one of said parts having a hinge lug. entering "IOr and shaped to turn in a slot in the other part to permit the bracket to swing from a position substantially parallel with the shelf to a position substantially perpendicular to the shelf, said bracket and shelf having integral portions which are interengaged by shifting the bracket relatively to the shelf in a directiontransverse to its direction of swinging movement and which when engaged prevent withdrawal of said hinge lug from said slot, and a retaining member on the structure arranged to prevent disengagement of saidinterengaging portions and the withdrawal 5 

